


Long Road to Ruin

by vinegarfreak



Category: Wentworth (TV)
Genre: Multi, Suspense, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-04
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2018-12-11 00:27:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11702982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vinegarfreak/pseuds/vinegarfreak
Summary: With The Freak seemingly vanquished, Wentworth can finally start to heal from her reign of terror. But strange, unexplainable events lead some to question whether she's truly gone. Old wounds are opened, old rivalries are rehashed, and a deadly cocktail of guilt, paranoia, and regret threatens to destroy everything in a moment.One thing is clear: some secrets can't stay buried forever.





	1. Gone

Vera Bennett pulled the blanket back and gasped at the sight before her. Where she had expected to find Joan Ferguson laying in bed, she instead found towels and a pillow stuffed inside the teal prison uniform. She paused, staring at the dummy. Hands trembling, Vera reached for her walkie-talkie. She took a deep breath and pressed the talk button.

The alarm wailed throughout the prison.

In H-1, Allie Novak sat on her bed with her arms wrapped around her legs staring at the ground. She knew what that alarm meant. By this time, the screws would have discovered that both Joan Ferguson and Franky Doyle were missing. Before the night was over, The Freak would be dead and she would finally be free. Revenge, in Bea Smith’s name, had been served.

Somehow Allie didn’t feel the sense of triumph she thought she would. 

_Attention Compound, this is a Code Green._

The announcement crackled in every corner of the building.

_This is a lockdown. All prisoners return to your unit_

“What the hell is this?” Derek Channing exclaimed as he followed Vera away from the chaos and into the cell that formerly belonged to Joan.

“Joan Ferguson is missing too,” Vera said, slightly shaking her head, almost in disbelief. 

His jaw dropped. For the first time in his life, Derek Channing was speechless. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he managed to say something. 

“Well good fucking riddance.”

“Mr. Channing!” Vera exclaimed, shocked but not surprised. “We have to alert the police that both Ferguson and Doyle are missing!”

“Yes, but let me just enjoy the fact that for once, Joan fucking Ferguson is not my fucking problem!” Channing sneered.

Vera gritted her teeth, choosing to ignore Channing’s remarks, and marched out of the cell. She marched past the confused faces of the other inmates in the unit and reached for her walkie-talkie. Marching towards the surveillance room, Vera barked orders through the device.

“Sierra two to sierra six, alert the police about Doyle and Ferguson’s possible escape.”

“Copy that!” Linda Miles replied. 

Jake Stewart happened to overhear this exchange and slithered up next to Vera.

“Is…is it smart to call the authorities before you’ve even conducted a full search of the prison?” he sputtered, in an attempt to delay the possibility that Ferguson would be found and he would be thrust back into her orbit.

“We already began a search of the prison after Doyle was discovered missing. It seems you missed that order,” she said curtly.

“Vera, I really think you’re making—”

“I am choosing to alert the police—”

“—a mistake!” Jake was attempting to interrupt her, but Vera continued to talk over him.

“I know Ferguson and I know that she wouldn’t stay here knowing she’s got a death sentence hanging over her.” Vera spat out as she quickened her pace. But no matter how fast she walked, her tiny legs were no match for Jake’s significantly longer strides. 

“Well, what about Doyle?” he tried again.

“If what Doyle said about Iman Farah is true, and I suspect it may be, then she has nothing to lose.” Vera once again quickened her pace.

Jake stepped in front of her, blocking her path. 

“I told you to stay the fuck away from me,” she seethed.

“I know, but—” Jake started, but Vera cut him off again.

“Get out of my way,” Vera warned. 

“Look, whatever you think about me—”

“Mr. Stewart, I have more important things to do than deal with you and your pathetic wallowing!” she exclaimed sharply.

Jake froze and Vera pushed him out of her way. She practically ran to the surveillance room. 

“Vera, the police have been called and they’re gathering a search party right away,” Linda said as soon as she saw Vera enter the room. Linda was seated at a desk in front of multiple screens showing the feeds from the CCTV. Vera stood over her shoulder, scanning the screens, her eyes moving so fast she was unable to actually see anything.

“Good. Have you been checking the CCTV for anything unusual?”

“Yeah,” Linda responded. “But nothing’s coming up.”

Vera slammed her fist on the desk and turned her back to Linda, clutching her head in her hands out of frustration.

“Although there is some footage from this arvo of the workshop and the surrounding corridors missing from the tapes,” Linda said casually.

Vera whipped around.

“Check the timeframe and report it to the police. That must have been when the escape happened,” Vera said, talking faster than she ever heard herself speak before. Linda reached for the phone but was moving too slowly for Vera. Vera yanked the phone from Linda and dialed the police.

~~~~~~~~~

Miles away, under the cover of the night, Will Jackson returned to his truck, sweaty and relieved. He pulled the hoodie off, wiped his brow and turned the keys in the ignition. The truck roared to life and Will drove far away from the scene of the crime. No,  crime wasn’t the right word. Thoughts raced through his mind, circulating in his brain. He had done the right thing. The noble thing. He had done what she told him he couldn’t do. He had done everyone a favor. Vera. Jake. Allie. Kaz. He had freed them from her clutches. Crime wasn’t the right word. It was justice.

Several feet below the ground, Joan saw the face of Bea Smith. The light flickered out and she screamed one final scream.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited by Myra (@Cyberglitch34 on twitter)


	2. Swirls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited by Myra (@Cyberglitch34 on twitter)

Joan Ferguson stopped screaming. She had lost control, and it was time to get it back. No more screaming. No more wasting oxygen. 

_Think think think!_

Accepting this fate simply was not an answer. Get control. Get out.

_They think they can get rid of you?_

She grabbed the bottom of her jumper and wrestled herself out of it.

_Not so fast._

She tied the jumper over her nose and mouth.

_Every alliance you made amounted to nothing._

She felt the top of the box until she found the crack. She pulled with all of her strength.

_They’ll just keep coming for you._

She pulled at the box again. The dirt started flooding into the box.

_No more mucking about. Not anymore._

She pushed the dirt towards her feet, breaking any wood she came across. Her breathing started to get shallower.

_Finish what you started._

She slowly worked her way into an upright position. She reached her right hand up and it popped through to the surface.

_Destroy everything. Burn it to the ground._

She continued to push dirt down below herself. Her lungs were screaming for oxygen. She moved her feet so they were flat against the bottom of the box.

_Get on with it!_

She conjured all of her strength and willpower and slowly pushed her feet against the bottom of the box while using her arms to move more dirt out of her way.

_They won’t escape you._

Her head poked through.

_Not this time._

Leaves and branches got caught in her hair and scratched her face but she could breathe freely again.

_No…_

She drew a large breath of air into her lungs, but it didn’t stop her from seeing stars swirling in and out of her eyes.

_They will_ _never_ _escape you._

And with her last breath before losing consciousness, she hoisted her body out of the ground.

~~~~~~~~

Vera stumbled into her house and kicked off her shoes. It was nearly the morning. She had stayed at Wentworth longer than she ever had in her entire career. Her eyes were so tired that she could barely see two feet in front of her. It was a miracle she had managed to drive home. Eyes nearly closed, she felt her way towards her room and fell fast asleep onto her bed fully clothed, too tired to do anything but discard her uniform jacket on the floor.

Vera awoke from her dreamless sleep with a start. It was several hours later, in the early afternoon. She was drenched in sweat. She sat up quickly, looking around the room. She was terrified and she didn’t know why. The sun shining through the window felt hot on her face. Too hot. Her head was spinning. Her breaths was fast and shallow. She tried to steady her breathing. Head still spinning, she got out of bed and stumbled towards towards her bathroom. 

She looked at herself in the mirror. She was entirely disheveled. The dark circles under her eyes added years to her face. Her wet shirt clung to her skin. Her hair was frizzy and coming undone. She reached into her shower and turned the water on. She pulled the toilet cover down and sat on top of it, her fingers massaging her temples to assuage her throbbing head, and waited for the room to become steamy. Vera noticed a dull pain in her chest, like it was weighted down by something. She attributed it to the stress of the night before and her rough awakening. She took deep breaths to attempt to get rid of the pain.

When the room was sufficiently steamy, she stripped down and stepped into the shower. The water seared her skin but she didn't care. She felt dirty and she wanted to scrub herself raw. She scrubbed roughly and mercilessly.

 _I should be ecstatic,_ she thought. _My biggest enemy is gone._ The weight on her chest continued to grow heavier. She reached for the shampoo and violently worked it into her hair.

_Get a grip, Vera!_

Her self-admonishing only made her scrub her hair harder.

_If she’s not in prison wreaking havoc, she’s certainly causing trouble somewhere else._

She grabbed the shower head and rinsed her hair with the scalding water.

 _But what could she possibly do on the outside? She’d spend the rest of her life as a fugitive. If she came back to Wentworth, she’d be dead immediately,_ she thought sadly.

Vera thought back to the last conversation she had with Joan. 

 _“Why did you do it?”_ Joan had asked; her eyes glassy. The red rope burns were bright against her neck which was white as paper.

Why indeed? She had every reason to leave her for dead. But there was something in her that caused her to open that gate, to cut that rope, to bring Joan back to life. When she saw Joan turn purple, her mind went blank and her body sprung into action.

 _I couldn’t stand to see someone else die,_ Vera thought to herself. _That is the_ _only_ _reason I saved her._

The water turned cold, and snapped Vera out of her thoughts. She turned off the faucet and stepped out, grabbing the towel on the hook next to the shower. Wrapped in her towel, she walked into the other room and sat on the corner of her bed. As soon as she sat down, she felt uneasy. She put her head in her hands and took several more deep breaths. The uneasiness grew stronger and she didn’t know why. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to block out the pounding in her head.

Her eyes snapped open, and she knew what she had forgotten. Her hands shaking, she walked into the kitchen and discovered the windows were unlocked. She quickly reached up to lock them then skittered back to her room and looked under her bed.

There were no monsters to be found. Despite this new knowledge, she didn’t feel much better 

She turned around and looked at the clock on her nightstand. If she didn’t pick up the pace, she would be late for her night shift.

Somehow she found herself not caring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the responses to my first chapter! I hope you all enjoyed this one too. This is my first piece of fan fiction, and I'm excited to see where this story takes me and I'm excited for all of you to take this journey with me. One thing you should know about me is that I am always open to constructive criticism and ideas. I love the process wholeheartedly.


	3. Changing Colors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited by Myra (@Cyberglitch34 on twitter)

In H-1, Allie sat with Liz Birdsworth and Boomer Jenkins at the table in the middle of the unit. 

“Things are going to be a lot quieter around here now that Franky and Ferguson are gone,” Liz stated.

“Yeah. I’m happy for Franky though. She’s going to clear her name, I just know it,” Allie said, slightly smiling.

“Yeah,” Boomer agreed sadly.

“Wonder what happened to the Ferguson though,” Liz asked.

“Doesn’t matter, does it, eh?” Boomer laughed. “As long as she’s gone for good.”

Allie smiled wider, knowing that by now The Freak would be dead.

“Well, they haven’t found her body so she’s either dead and hidden really well or she escaped at the same time Franky did,” Liz said.

“Hey, I reckon one of the officers finally offed her, eh,” Boomer laughed. “On account of her having been their boss.”

“No, Boomer, it wasn’t an officer,” Liz said, exasperated. “If she’s dead it was probably one of Kaz or Tina’s crew.”

“Yeah, it could have been one of them. But it wasn’t,” Allie said smugly. “Kaz wouldn’t do that.”

“You’re awfully happy today,” Liz remarked. 

“I’m just glad I don’t have to deal with The Freak anymore,” Allie said casually. 

“Do you know something we don’t?” Liz inquired. 

  Just then, Boomer saw Linda walking past their unit.

“Ms. Miles!” Boomer called as she got up from the table. 

“Yeah, Jenkins?” Linda said, stopping and turning towards Boomer.

“Is there any news about Sonia’s condition?” Boomer asked hopefully.

“Last I heard they got her stabilized. No telling if she’ll recover or not though,” Linda said nonchalantly. The news made both Boomer and Liz uneasy, though for different reasons.

“But she’s stabilized…that’s good, right?” Boomer said, starting to get a bit agitated.

“I dunno. I’m not a doctor,” Linda said, shrugging. She walked away.

“Ms. Miles!” Boomer called repeatedly after her, getting increasingly upset. 

“What, Jenkins?” Linda said, turning around, annoyed. 

“But—but she’s gonna make it, right?” Boomer said, distraught. 

“I’ve told you all I know, stop badgering me,” Linda responded.

Liz came up from behind and attempted to calm her down.

“Calm down, love, you have to calm down,” Liz repeated variations of this over and over.

“No, I wont calm down! Not until someone tells me what’s going on with Sonia!” Boomer yelled.

“Boomer, you have to calm down. Ms. Miles has told you everything she knows, you just have to accept that and wait for more news,” Liz said. “I’m sure Sonia will be fine, she has to be.” The last sentence was more for her own reassurance than Boomer’s. She hadn’t meant for Sonia to come close to death. It was only supposed to incapacitate her until Liz figured out how to protect herself. It wasn’t meant to be like this.

“Knock it off, Jenkins or I’ll slot you,” said Linda in an attempt to control the situation.

“All right, all right I’m calm!” said Boomer angrily through her tears.

~~~~~~~~

Still at her house, Vera was finally ready to leave for work. Her uniform jacket was wrinkled, but she at least found a clean shirt and fresh pair of slacks. As she was standing in the foyer, getting ready to exit her house, she saw a shadow flash by on the wall opposite the window in her kitchen. It was brief. She blinked her eyes, not entirely sure what she had seen. 

She froze in place. She stood still for a few minutes but everything remained as it should be. She opened the door, taking extra care to lock it behind her and walked towards her car.

She was oblivious to the fact that she was being watched.

~~~~~~~~

Kaz Proctor stood in the yard by the fence. She saw Will approaching. He stopped near her and the two were separated by the fence, giving the appearance that they weren’t associated with each other.

“I heard about what happened last night,” Will said.

“You weren’t here?” Kaz asked.

“No. I had to take care of something,” he replied, gravely.

“Franky and Ferguson escaped last night,” Kaz stated.

“I don’t know where Franky went, but you don’t need to worry about Ferguson anymore,” Will said.

“What do you mean?” Kaz asked.

“I took care of her. We finally have justice for Bea and for everything she put us through.”  
“She’s dead?” Kaz was in disbelief.

“Yes,” Will replied, deadly serious.

“How?” Kaz asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You can’t just tell me something like that and not expect me to ask about it,” Kaz said, incredulous. 

“Look, you, me, and everyone else in this prison wanted her dead. It doesn’t matter how I did it.” 

Kaz saw the anger in his eyes, but decided to keep pressing.

“How can I trust that she really is dead? Not so long ago you hated me and still you saved my life. And everyone knows the story about how you pulled Ferguson out of the fire,” Kaz said. “Are you sure there’s no way she’s alive?”

“Kaz, you just have to trust me, there’s no way she’s alive now. I made sure of it,” Will whispered intensely. “Now will you just drop it?”

Kaz looked at him once again and saw that it wasn’t anger in his eyes, it was fear. His eyes were watering slightly and his breathing was becoming somewhat labored. She decided to drop the matter for now.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “That couldn’t have been easy. But…it’s what she deserves.”

~~~~~~~~

Vera sat behind the wheel in the parking lot of Wentworth. She leaned forward and rested her head on the wheel. She couldn’t shake that uneasy feeling. Tears started filling her eyes and she couldn’t figure out why. 

_Tap tap tap_

Will was tapping on her car window.

“Vera? You okay?”

She quickly wiped away the tears and sat up.

“Yes, just a minute,” she said quickly. She grabbed her bag and stepped out of her car. 

“You sure you’re okay?” Will asked.

Vera locked her jaw and swallowed, not looking at Will.

“I’m fine,” she managed to say.

“I heard about what happened last night,” Will said somberly. Vera did not reply. “Look, it’s not on you anymore. Last night is on Channing. You may still have a chance at getting your job back. The board—”

“No,” Vera replied softly. “No, I don’t deserve it. I thought I could handle it, but…” She shook her head.

“At least Ferguson is out of your life now,” Will said. Vera clenched her teeth and nodded once.

“I have to go in for my shift. I’m already late,” Vera responded. She scampered off before Will could reply.

Will watched Vera enter the prison. Walking towards his motorbike, he flashed back to the previous night. 

Those screams. Those piercing screams.

_“I AM IN HERE!”_

They echoed throughout his skull and burned in his ears. _I did the right thing,_ he thought. _I had to do it. It was a necessity._

He put his helmet on his head and turned on the ignition of his bike.

Riding always made Will feel like he could go anywhere he wanted. It was always his comfort; it was his freedom.

Today, the roads seemed to get longer with every mile. Will didn’t know where he was going or what he was doing. He missed the turn to go home a long ways back. There were no thoughts in his head. His brain had disconnected from his body. He felt bound to his bike. He didn’t know where he was. He couldn’t remember how he got here. 

The road got rougher. The pavement turned into dirt. Suddenly his eyes snapped into focus.

He knew where he was going.

He had been down this road before. 

He was at the edge of the forest. If he ventured further, he would be exactly where he was nearly 24 hours ago. 

_No,_ he thought. _I’m not going back. What’s done is done and I can’t change what I did to her._

He turned his bike around and started to make his way home.

 


	4. Cold Lights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for not updating in a while! Things got busy in preparation to go back to school, but anyway without further ado, please enjoy chapter 4!
> 
>  
> 
> Edited by Myra (@Cyberglitch34 on twitter)

Jake Stewart hadn't intended to fall for Vera. He only kissed her that one day to confuse her, to make her fall for him. He had big plans for himself. He would get to the top by any means possible and if that meant he had to sleep with the Governor, so be it. It had always been easy for him to charm women. All he had to do was flash his smile a few times, flirt a little, and they fell at his feet. 

Vera proved to be a challenge. She was stern, almost severe. She didn’t respond the way women usually do, at least not at first. So he decided to make a bold move and kiss her in the elevator, but that just made her upset. He proceeded to slowly wear her down but things were moving too slowly for him. Until he met Joan Ferguson.

At first she would just drop little pieces of information for him. Then she would hint at something for him to do. Eventually she was controlling his every move. Everything she told him to do worked. He finally had Vera under his thumb.

He didn’t expect to fall for her.

  It happened after Joan told him to move in with her. He started noticing her little tics, and he found them adorable. He grew to like seeing her face in the morning. The natural light in her kitchen was different from the harsh fluorescents at the prison. There it gave her face odd shadows, which made her look perpetually grim. At her house, however, the light gave her an ethereal glow. 

Being together 24/7 gave him a chance to _really_ get to know her. And he liked what he saw. 

And then he began to love her.

But he blew it. He let Joan Ferguson get in his head. Without her, he most likely wouldn’t have gotten to know Vera this quickly and this intimately. But without her, he wouldn’t have ruined the best thing that ever happened to him.

~~~~~~~~

Nightfall brought the prison to a calm. Vera found the lull in activities to be strangely soothing. Vera walked the familiar corridors. The click of her heels on the linoleum was the only sound. She never minded the night shift. It gave her time to think. In previous years, she would think about a variety of topics, from her mother to her nonexistent social life. But tonight there was only one thing on her mind.

The prison felt strange without Ferguson. Whether as Governor or a prisoner, her presence had been a constant for so long. Vera found herself walking past Ferguson’s old unit. She stopped at the bars and stared at the empty cell, half-expecting to see Ferguson staring back.

When she saw nothing, she continued her patrol, ignoring the persistent tightness in her chest.

The lights from outside cast long shadows on the corridor walls. She paused, looking out the window, deep in thought. She remembered the many times she had seen Joan emerge from the shadows during her tenure as Governor, moonlight contouring her face and making her appear more sinister. Joan had always seemed to prefer the night as well, often doing business with the prisoners at night, unorthodox business that couldn’t be conducted during the day.

“Vera,” said a familiar voice from the shadows. Out stepped Jake.

“How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from me?” Vera muttered angrily.

“Vera, please listen to me,” Jake pleaded.

“No,” Vera was determined to show strength.

He stepped in her path, blocking her.

“Look, I just…I meant what I said yesterday. I want to make things right,” Jake was practically begging, his eyes starting to water.

“Move out of my way,” Vera said.

“Vera, what I feel for you is real.”

“Yeah, so real that you had to destroy my entire career for a madwoman,” she glared at him. “Get over yourself.”

She turned the opposite direction. It wasn’t where she was originally going, but she would do anything to get away from the sickening excuse of a human being.

“Vera, they’re probably going to promote me to Governor,” he called after her, his s. “and I just want you to know that I will fight to keep you on staff.”

Turning around, Vera said “And?”

“I hope we can reach an understanding. I would hate for you to leave here. You’re a good officer and you deserve to stay here,” he said, 

  “Is this your way of trying to ‘win me back?’ ” she said, emphasizing her point with air quotes.

“No, but—”

“You know what? Forget what I said a few nights ago. I don’t care what you do to me, I will make it my personal mission to make sure you never work in corrections ever again. My career is fucked. It’s only a matter of time before I’m sacked. I won’t be able to work in corrections again and so neither should you,” Vera snapped.

She walked away, feeling slightly lighter. She had spent their entire relationship playing a role, the role she’d always wanted for herself, the part of the good girlfriend, to the point where it had cost her the job she always wanted. It was time for her to free herself from that. With Jake, she felt trapped. She never wanted to acknowledge it, but the domesticity he forced on her ate away at her, and made her feel less like herself.

Despite this, the attention he showed her made her feel good and learning about his complete betrayal ripped her to shreds. A part of her was relieved it had ended. A bigger part of her hated the way it ended.

Vera never considered herself to be a vengeful person, but exceptions have to be made, and Jake was one who deserved it. 

With her new goal in mind, Vera strode down the hall with a heightened posture and a quick pace.

It was time to get to work.


	5. Shut It Down

Kaz strode quickly down the hall, scanning for Allie. She spotted her meandering towards the dining hall for breakfast. Kaz grabbed Allie’s arm and yanked her towards a corner in the hall where they wouldn’t be overheard.

“What the fuck, Kaz?” Allie said loudly as Kaz dragged her. They reached the destination. Kaz shushed her in response.

“I’ve got some news for you,” said Kaz, deadly serious.

“What is it?” Allie asked.

Kaz struggled with her words for a minute before deciding just to say it outright. “Ferguson is dead. Now, I know you wanted to kill her yourself—”

“Yeah, I knew that,” Allie interrupted.

“What?” Kaz said, confused.

“I know that already,” Allie said once more.

“How? Who told you?” Kaz asked.

“Who told  _ you _ ?” Allie responded.

“Doesn’t matter,” Kaz replied indignantly.

“I think it does matter because we have to determine who else knows,” said Allie.

Kaz’s eyes widened, a realization dawning on her. She knew she needed to choose her next words carefully. “Were you…involved?”

Allie’s silence answered the question for her.

“How did it happen?” Kaz asked.

“Look, I can’t tell you. Not here. We’ll have to talk later,” Allie said, dismissively. She turned away and walked into the dining hall.

Kaz knew something suspicious was going on. Two nights ago, she had set out to take care of Ferguson herself. With Ferguson gone, Allie would finally stop letting herself get consumed by the idea of a revenge that was certain to never come. Not with Ferguson’s superior strength and intellect. Allie would persist in her attacks against Ferguson, and Ferguson would continue to defeat and humiliate her. Choosing to suspend her principles for the safety of the women made sense. More importantly, it ensured that Allie would be safe.

When Kaz pulled back those sheets and discovered the decoy, she felt a sense of relief wash over her. She wouldn’t have to compromise her principles after all, at least for now. There was no telling at that time whether Ferguson would be back, but now Kaz could rest easy with the knowledge that she was dead.

Well, theoretically, she should be able to. But discovering that Will and now Allie, the two people she trusted most, were involved with her death made Kaz suspicious. What had happened that caused those two to work together? They were keeping her in the dark about what happened and she didn’t like it.

~~~~~~~~

Vera stepped carefully into the Governor’s office. Channing sat at the desk—her desk—waiting expectantly.

“Vera. Take a seat,” he said in that slimy, gruff voice of his. Vera complied. He got up and leaned against the front of the desk, invading her personal space. “Now, I decided to give you a second chance at management and let the workshop remain open against my better judgment, but these escapes by Doyle and Ferguson clearly demonstrate that you are unfit to be Governor.”

Vera clenched her teeth, forcing herself to hold her tongue. 

“Now, I  _ hate _ to disappoint the women again,” he drawled. “but you’ve given me no choice but to shut down the workshop indefinitely.”

Vera lightly cleared her throat. “Why are you telling only me this? Shouldn’t all the officers know?”

“Oh, I told everyone else. I’m telling you now because I want  _ you _ to give the news to the women at breakfast today,” Channing sneered. Vera’s eyes narrowed; she knew Channing wanted her to bear the brunt of the abuse the officers were likely to get today with this news.

“You can go home after that. No need for you to work overtime today,” he said.

“Will that be all?” she asked, trying and failing to hide the irritation in her voice.

“Yes,” Channing replied.

Vera slid the chair backwards and sprung up. She strode out, accidentally slamming the door in her anger. 

She marched down the corridor and instead of turning into the dining hall, she stormed into the bathroom slammed the door behind her. A junior officer who was washing her hands jumped in surprise at the door.

“Get out,” Vera seethed. The wide-eyed officer complied and scampered out.

Vera locked herself into one of the stalls. She pulled the toilet cover down and sat on it, tucking her head between her legs.

The floodgates opened.

She screamed. She pounded her fists on the sides of the stalls. With each punch she saw the faces of people who had wronged her. Channing. Jake. 

Joan.

She abruptly stopped her punches. Tears started pouring down her face. 

Every time she pictured Joan, she saw that fragile woman with the red rope burns and bruises on her neck. The woman she had saved against Channing’s orders. She had brought her back from the brink of death. How could she even think about hurting—

_ NO,  _ Vera admonished herself.  _ Remember the pain she caused you.You know what kind of person she is. _

Vera took some deep breaths. She felt calmer. No. She felt numb. She wiped her eyes and stood up. She smoothed her pants and then exited the bathroom stall. With her head held high she walked towards the dining hall.

She would do what Channing asked, she would take the abuse from the prisoners, and then she would go home and begin plotting his downfall. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sincerely apologize for taking so long to update. I got back to school a little while ago and I've been figuring out my schedule and it's been hard to find time to write. But anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll try to update more frequently.
> 
> Edited by Myra (@Cyberglitch34 on twitter)


	6. Head On

Joan was never very good at waiting. Whether in life or sport, her instincts always told her to strike first. Attacking first gave her the power and left her opponent on the defensive. Her father had always tried to drill it into her mind that waiting for the right moment is just as important as the attack itself. No matter how hard she tried, her emotions—no, her instincts—got in the way.

But this was life and death now. It was time to wait in the shadows.

And yet…

And yet she just couldn’t resist. Sometimes a small, precise move is all it takes.

~~~~~~~~

“But why!?!” Boomer screamed, rattling her tray and dropping half her breakfast. She had just heard the news that the workshop would be shut down, this time for good.

“Jenkins, sit down!” Vera ordered. “It’s out of my control at this point. This comes directly from Mr. Channing.”

“And you can’t do nothing?” Boomer demanded.

“My hands are tied.”

There was a collective clamor of groaning, yelling, and booing.

“SETTLE DOWN!” Vera screamed. The cacophony lulled to a quiet. The last time they had heard Vera scream like that was during the kangaroo court, and it shocked everyone that she had the capacity to sound like that. 

“Right. Well. As you were,” Vera said and exited the room.

“Sounds like someone gave her some extra salty vinegar today,” Allie said as Boomer sat down to diffuse the tension. Boomer cracked a slight smile.

“I don’t blame her, with everything that’s happened she’s got to be concerned about her job,” Liz said.

“I won’t be sad to see her go,” Boomer said, still fuming.

~~~~~~~~

Vera breathed a sigh of relief when she entered her home. In the past she had done double shifts without much issue, but now she couldn’t even get through a single without exhaustion taking its toll on her. She walked past her kitchen and into her bedroom and began unbuttoning her jacket. She hung it up on a hanger which was on her closet door. She discarded the rest of her clothes on the ground and pulled on a dark green jumper and sweat pants. She went into the kitchen and pulled out a mug and  grabbed a pan from one of her cabinets. She opened her fridge to grab the milk and was surprised to find the container significantly lighter than she remembered.

She poured just enough milk in the pan and started boil it. She opened her cabinet, expecting to see her tin of cocoa powder. 

Vera was puzzled. Her cocoa powder was nowhere to be seen. In fact, it looked as though some things had been moved around. She reached deeper in the cabinet, eventually finding the tin.

_Jake must have moved things around before he moved out._

That was the only logical explanation. It had to be that. 

_Right?_

The bubbles crackled in the pan. She finished preparing her mug of hot cocoa and took it into the living room to watch TV. She flicked through the channels while waiting for her cocoa to cool, not finding anything of interest. She sighed, and folded her legs up on the couch and wrapped her arms around them, bringing them to her chest. She left the TV on the weather channel, half-listening.

 _“Clear skies for the rest of the week…”_ the weatherman droned. _“Storms to happen next week…”_

 _Wait a minute,_ she thought. _That wasn’t like that before._

The magazines which were normally haphazardly stacked on the coffee table were perfectly stacked in the upper left corner. 

_Jake didn’t do that…did he?_

Neither Vera nor Jake were messy people, but it was rare that something the house was _so perfectly_ organized.

A mystery was brewing, and Vera was at a loss.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello...I'm not dead.
> 
> I apologize for the lack of updates and the short chapter but I'm going on break for a week so I'm hoping to be writing more chapters


	7. Before It's Too Late

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edited by Myra (@Cyberglitch34 on twitter)

She was walking down the hall—no,  _ gliding— _ and she could feel all eyes on her. Heads turned. Some women looked at her with their eyes wide open and their jaw slack. She turned the corner into H-1. Seeing that Liz was sitting at the table drinking a cup of tea, she silently approached her.

“Hello Liz,” she purred.

Liz jumped at the voice and looked up and saw Sonia Stevens standing before her with a cat-like glare in her eyes. 

“S-Sonia, you’re back,” she chuckled nervously.

Boomer popped her head out of her cell, wondering if she heard correctly.

“Sonia!” Boomer shouted. 

“Hello Susan,” Sonia said cheerfully. Boomer ran towards her and swooped her up in a giant hug.

“I missed you so much!” Boomer shouted joyfully.

“Calm down, Susan, I’ve only been gone a few days,” Sonia said, smiling. “And please don’t squeeze me too tight, I’m still recovering.”

“Can I get you anything or help you or what?” Boomer asked, gently putting Sonia down.

“Oh, I can get you a cuppa,” Liz offered.

“No thank you Liz,” Sonia said sharply, glaring at her. “I’ve had quite enough of your help.”

“Sonia, you’ve got to do something! The Governor shut down the workshop again!” Boomer said, becoming distraught.

“Oh, Susan, don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll take care of it all,” Sonia proclaimed.

“It might not be as easy this time,” Liz said. “Two people escaped through the workshop.”

Sonia whipped her head towards Liz. “I said I would take care of it,” she said crisply. She turned her head back to Boomer and softened her tone. “But for now, Susan, I would like to hear about everything that happened while I was gone.”

~~~~~~~~

Kaz grabbed Will and pulled him into the stairwell.

“Tell me what you did to Ferguson,” she demanded softly.

“I told, you stay out of it,” Will said.

“I can’t stay out of it. Now that I know Allie is involved,” Kaz insisted.

“Kaz, I really can’t talk about it, all right? I did what you said, I crossed a line and got justice, so what does it matter?” Will exclaimed, indignant.

“It matters because you involved my best friend and now you won’t even tell me what’s going on!” She softened her tone, pleading, “Please, just tell me what you did. I won’t tell anyone, I just need to know.”

“Have you forgotten who's in charge here?” Will said, hardening his demeanor. “Get back to your unit, Proctor.”

Kaz was silent, her mouth slightly open in shock.

“Now!” Will yelled.

“Fine.” Kaz narrowed her eyes and furrowed her brow. “But I thought you were better than this,” she said, before exiting the stairwell.

~~~~~~~~

Vera had searched every inch of her house from top to bottom. Nothing else seemed disturbed. She wrote it off as a fluke. Maybe Jake had tidied things up before he left or maybe she had absentmindedly moved things around. Either way, she had bigger things to focus on. She needed to fire a shot at either Channing or Jake before it was too late for the women. She knew it was too late for her. She was only being kept around because Channing couldn’t afford to cut any more staff without hiring and training new people.

She moved from her couch to her desk, puzzling over her situation. There was the drugs. She could find concrete proof of Jake’s operation and take it to the ombudsman. Somehow that didn’t seem like it would be enough to get rid of him. And there was still the problem of Channing. She thought back to years ago when Jo—no,  _ Ferguson— _ had alluded to Channing running an unsavory operation with parolees from the prison. She hadn’t said it outright, but she had hinted at something going on.

_ I can’t believe I’m seriously considering something Ferguson said. _

Vera couldn’t help but ponder what Ferguson would do in this situation. As much as she tried to stop herself, she couldn’t get her former mentor out of her mind. She thought back to how much of the past few years had been consumed by her. 

_ Everything that has happened to me in the past few years, the good and the bad, she has had something to do with it. _

It was at that moment that Vera realized just how strong the hold Joan had on her. The thought of life without her gave Vera a strange feeling. She didn’t know how to describe it. It wasn’t happiness or freedom. In fact, it didn’t feel positive at all.

~~~~~~~~

“Stevens for you,” said Linda, holding the door to the Governor’s office open as Sonia elegantly walked though and sat down in the chair across from the desk.

“Thank you Miss Miles,” Channing replied. “So. What brings you to me, Stevens?”

“Cutting straight to the matter. Perfect,” Sonia said pleasantly.

“Yes. Now what is it?” Channing said, slightly impatient.

“Well, Mr. Channing, I was hoping you could do something for me,” said Sonia.

“Really?” Channing said, raising an eyebrow.

“Now, the workshop—” Sonia began, but was cut off by Channing’s gravelly voice.

“Now, now Stevens I’m not going to talk about that—”

“I think you're making a mistake by closing it,” she proclaimed.

“Now if I cared about the opinions of prisoners, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Channing said, raising his eyebrows and suppressing a laugh. “No. I’m not going to reopen the workshop.”

“Governor,” Sonia said sweetly, “As I told Miss Bennett several weeks ago, if money is an issue—”

“It’s not about the money, Stevens,” Channing replied condescendingly, “it’s about public safety. Just last week not one, but  _ two _ prisoners used  _ your _ workshop as a means of escaping!”

“I had absolutely nothing to do with that—”

“Doesn’t matter, the rest of the Board would never allow me to reopen it.”

“I see,” Sonia paused. “And there’s absolutely nothing nothing at all I can do for you?” Sonia raised one eyebrow as she cocked her head.

“No,” Channing said, clenching his hands on the armrests of his chair and locking his jaw.

“Really? Because, as you know, I am a very wealthy woman. There are...certain things I can do for you.”

It was a tempting offer. He had told Joan that he had cleaned house on his unsavory investments, but really he had just tried to cover his tracks better. And that cost money. Lots of money. The drug operation had been pulling in more cash, but it still wasn’t enough to cover his tracks and finance his lifestyle. Still, reopening the workshop would look bad to the Board unless he could find a way to justify it.

But maybe he could get something else out of this.

“I’m gonna need more than money, Stevens,” Channing said, narrowing his eyes.

Sonia thought for a moment before saying, “I’ve got a certain amount of clout with the women now; there could be certain advantages to having someone on your side among them.”

“You want to provide me with information,” Channing stated, leaning back, unimpressed.

“If you’d like,” Sonia said, unperturbed. But I was talking about something bigger.”

Now she had more of his attention. “Go on,” Channing said, his eyebrows furrowing in intrigue.

Sonia drew the corners of her mouth up into a smirk. Oh, the games she would play with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, finally I have new chapter!!! I've already got chapter 8 in the works so hopefully there won't be as much time between postings. I'm sorry for the delay but life got in the way for both me and my faithful editor. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!


	8. Dead End

The next day, Vera decided to take a leap of faith and turn to her oldest friend at Wentworth.

“Will,” she said, catching up to him as they were both walking into the building to start their shifts.

“Hey Vera,” he said, turning towards her. He was in a bad state. His eyes were tired and bloodshot. His nose was red.

“Are you okay, Will?” Vera asked. 

“Yeah. I’m fine. I had a rough night, but I’m fine,” Will said.

“I need to talk to you about something,” Vera said.

“Okay, go ahead,” Will replied.

“No, we need to talk privately. Away from,” Vera paused and lowered her voice to a whisper, “Channing and Jake.”

“Boiler room. After the first count,” Will said.

~~~~~~~~

“Good news, Susan,” Sonia said, walking into the common area of H-1 and sitting at the table across from Boomer, “I talked to Mr. Channing.”

“You got the workshop back?” Boomer asked, getting excited. 

“All in good time, Susan. For now, we wait.”

“Why do we have to wait?” Boomer whined.

“Well, I had to make a deal with him. It would look very bad for him if he opened it so soon after the escapes. So we are going to comply with an investigation by the board, and Mr. Channing is going to make sure that it’s allowed to reopen after the investigation,” Sonia said, smiling.

Liz, who was listening from the sink, peered around the corner. 

“What did you offer Channing as part of this “deal” you made?” she inquired.

“I don’t think that’s any of your business,” Sonia countered.

“Yeah, Liz stay out of it,” Boomer interjected. She turned back to Sonia. “But what _did_ you offer Channing?”

“All in good time, Susan,” Sonia smirked.

~~~~~~~~

Vera paced nervously around the boiler room. She checked once more that the cameras were turned. She knew that if she was going to take down Channing and Jake she needed help and Will disliked them both. He was a powerful ally. She checked her watch. She tapped her fingers on the wall. She paced some more.

Finally, the door opened and Will walked in.

“You’re late,” Vera said.

“There was an issue in C block. I took care of it,” he replied. “So what is this about? Why the secret meeting?”

“You and I both know that neither Channing nor Jake deserves to sit in the Governor’s chair,” she said. 

“Agreed,” Will replied.

“I want to take them down. Both of them. But I need your help,” Vera said.

“My help? Why my help?” Will asked.

“You and I have been through so much over the years. You’ve shown me that you’re the only one I can trust. I know I haven’t always listened to you, but I am here now and I want to take these people down just as much as I suspect you do,” Vera said.

“You just want your job back, don’t you?” Will asked.

“No. That’s not what this is about. I know it’s too late for me. But you deserve the Governorship. You care about these women. You have one of the strongest moral compasses of anyone I know and I am confident that under your leadership, Wentworth would finally be free of all the things that have happened here.”

Will was silent.

“Please, Will. Say something,” Vera said.

Still, Will was unresponsive.

“Look, I know this is going to be hard, but that’s why I’m asking you for help. The only way we can get rid of Channing and Jake is if we do it together. I am willing to do whatever it takes. Please, Will.” Vera pleaded.

“You’re wrong,” Will whispered.

“What?” Vera said, confused.

“I thought I had a moral compass,” Will said.

“You do!” Vera insisted. “Where is this coming from?”

“I did something awful,” Will said, turning away from Vera.

“…What?” Vera asked hesitantly.

“I k—I helped Ferguson escape,” Will said.

“You what?” Vera said, in disbelief. 

“Jake and I…we helped her escape,” he replied.

“Why?” Vera asked. “You set her loose on the world, there’s no telling what kind of havoc she could wreak! What was possibly going through your mind that you decided that was a good idea?” Vera started to get louder.

“I killed her,” Will blurted. “She’s gone.”

“What?” Vera said, her voice rising in pitch, her eyes widening. She cleared her throat. “H-how?”

“She hid herself in one of those boxes from the workshop and I followed where the truck took it and…” he trailed off, unable to admit out loud what he did.

“What?” Vera asked. 

Will was silent.

“Tell me!” She demanded.

“I buried her,” he whispered. “I never even saw her.”

“You mean…she was alive?” Vera said, horrified.

“I can’t get her screams out of my head,” Will admitted.

Vera could feel the anger rising inside of her.

“I wanted to protect the women and protect us,” Will said, attempting to justify himself.

Vera said nothing, but she was seething inside.

“You hated her. You wanted her gone…right?” Will nervously said. He needed to be assured he did the right thing.

“I may have hated her, but I would _never_ do something like that,” Vera said, her eyes narrowing. “You’re such a fucking coward you couldn’t even face her, you had to bury her. Fuck you, Will.”

Vera turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her, shaking the walls.

 


	9. Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been a long ass time since I've posted, hopefully I still have readers! My personal life is finally coming together and I'm at a place where I have time and motivation to write again, so please enjoy. Chapter 10 is in the works!

Will regretted saying anything the moment he opened his mouth. What was he expecting? He knew what he did was horrifying and of course Vera was right to react the way she did.

Still, a part of him was hoping that she would tell him Ferguson deserved it. Surely Vera, who had been one of the people most hurt by Ferguson’s actions, felt she deserved a painful death. Clearly that wasn’t true. He should have known better. He had seen the way Vera ran across the yard to save Ferguson, despite the hatred between them. She wouldn’t have wanted her deed to have been done for nothing.

Vera was right; Channing and Jake needed to be taken down. But Will didn’t think he was the person to do it. Who was he to judge the actions of others when he did something far more heinous than selling drugs? But nonetheless, they were making life hell for Vera, and they would surely make life hell for the women in the future. Vera had made some misjudgments as Governor, it was true, but he absolutely preferred her to Channing or Jake. Will didn’t want to be Governor. He wasn’t sure if he even wanted to work at Wentworth any more. But Vera needed his help, and he couldn’t abandon her after all they both went through.

~~~~~~~~

Vera found herself feeling nauseous. Her heart was beating faster than she’d ever felt before. The world around her started to spin. She could barely make it past the first set of stairs outside the boiler room. She crouched on the landing, putting her head between her legs and attempting to take slow breaths to steady herself.

_It’s my fault_ , she thought. _I should have pushed harder to put her in protection. I should have gone against Channing. I should have done_ something.

Vera swallowed the lump in her throat. _I saved her for nothing_ , she thought. _She would have died no matter what, and it’s my fault._

She heard the door to the boiler room open behind her.

“Vera,” She heard Will’s voice say.

She stood up and ran down the stairs, not wanting to hear his voice anymore. She ran down the hallway, past the prisoners, past the other officers, straight into the elevator. She pressed the stop button. She stood in the center of the elevator, numb.

She had just been here a couple weeks ago. She had cried then. Joan had revealed to her the truth about Jake. Vera laughed bitterly. _Joan did me a favor_. Vera leaned forward, pressing her forehead to the elevator wall. The cool metal against her skin made her aware of the heat radiating from her body. She was on fire.

She was suffocating. Her lungs were closing up and she couldn’t breathe. She turned around and put her back against the wall. She reached up and loosened her tie and undid her top two buttons, but it wasn’t enough. Her vision was starting to blur and she was starting to feel lightheaded. Vera slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor, her legs straight out in front of her. Her heart pounded in her ears and she clutched at her chest as she tried to inhale but no air seemed to be able to enter her lungs. The heavy weight on her chest only got heavier.

Vera cried. Huge sobs resonated throughout her body and she couldn’t stop the tears rolling down her cheeks. She let out a raspy scream, not caring if anyone could hear her.

When she cried her last tear, she sat in silence, her eyes closed. Her breathing slowed, and she stood up and flicked the elevator back on. She knew her eyes would be red and puffy for the rest of the say but she couldn’t seem to find it in herself to care.

She exited the elevator and walked slowly down the hall, feeling lightheaded. Nothing felt real to her anymore. She was in a daze.

She saw Linda coming from the opposite direction. Linda noticed her and asked, “Are you all right, Vera?”

All Vera could manage was “Fuck off, Linda.”

~~~~~~~~

Kaz could feel her power slipping again. Even with Ferguson gone, the drugs continued to flow into the prison at an even higher concentration than before. Half the women were off their faces all the time. Kaz’s history as a protector of Ferguson and her reputation for avoiding violence caused many to see her as weak. The initial shock of the Kangaroo Court had worn off, and the mysterious disappearance of Ferguson without the production of a body had left a sour taste in the women’s mouths. They all wanted their piece of Ferguson and they had all been denied, and it was clear Kaz hadn’t taken care of her like she was supposed to.

There were rumblings, rumors circulating that some women were defecting to another. Kaz was constantly looking over her shoulder, for fear of being usurped again. She didn’t want to be Top Dog, but she didn’t trust anyone else to run the prison and work with the women. Not when the Governorship was unstable. If things weren’t calmed down, Wentworth would erupt into even more chaos. Kaz had to figure out a way to pacify the women and solidify her position. As much as she hated to admit it, the time for sticking to her principles was over. She had to crack down on the women, and make sure there were no defections.

It made her feel sick to her stomach.

~~~~~~~~

Vera stumbled into the door, grateful to have made it in time. The clouds had turned grey and a storm was coming. Small droplets had already begun to come down from above. She was not looking forward to the thunder that was sure to come later in the night.


End file.
